1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for measuring a location and a distance of an object by using a camera, more particularly, to an apparatus and a method for measuring a location and a distance of an object by using only one camera, in which specific point coordinate's of a target object are extracted from an image photographed by the camera, three-dimensional location information is calculated by using the extracted point coordinates, and then distance information is extracted from the three-dimensional location information.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, various industry fields have been applied technologies which can recognize a front object on a plane and catch distance information and location information of the recognized object. Especially, with the application of the technologies to automobiles, there is a tendency to develop and popularize various technologies that can sense location and distance information of an object on a front of the automobile on the move, and guide an optimal running condition to a driver.
For example, technologies for sensing location and distance information of an object may be applied to technologies for preventing front and rear collision in an intelligent automobile system. At present, the continuously developed technologies enable an automobile system to provide not only auditory sensing information, but also visual sensing information through a camera when a front object or a rear object is sensed, so that the driver can recognize the distance and location information of the object with ease.
In a conventional scheme for implementing such auditory or visual sensing information, the approximate location of a front object or a rear object is sensed through either ultrasonic waves or lasers, the sensed information is transmitted to a main controller, and then a driver acquires the transmitted information by the auditory information.
However, in this case, since the distance and location information is determined by information retro-reflected to the object, the auditory information alone is provided. Further, only simple information for determining existence or non-existence of obstacles caused by objects within a specific distance is provided. Therefore, the conventional technologies fail to meet user's demand.
In order to solve such problems, there have been provided a technology for photographing a front image or a rear image through a camera, and transferring the photographed image to a driver while providing visually sensing information of the front object or the rear object.
A scheme for providing visual sensing information through a camera has an advantage in that it can sense an external object more easily than a scheme for providing auditory sensing information, but has a disadvantage in that it is necessary to generate three-dimensional information through combination of two or more pieces of photographed information, in order to catch location information and distance information of an object through a camera. In this case, since the camera itself provides two-dimensional information, two or more cameras are used to take a photograph at the same time.
However, in a conventional scheme for providing visual sensing information by using a camera, it is necessary to use two or more cameras for extraction of three-dimensional information, and to extract location and distance information of an object by combination of an image gathered from two or more cameras. Therefore, there are disadvantages in that it is complicated to provide the information, and it is necessary to use an additional image processing device.